THE ELECTRONIC CORNER
NeuPat
From Patagonia With Love ... For Heavy Metal!
Neupat says:
Both my father and my older brother share a passion for music
I grew tired of the late-night scene and collaborating with other musicians
I try to help and support independent artists like me
I’m still an amateur, and I fully acknowledge that
Jeremias Nicolas is the man behind NeuPat, an electronic music project with many influences. Let’s find out what he has to say to The Electronic Corner.
Sir Joe: Where does your stage name NeuPat come from?
NeuPat: “NeuPat” is a fusion of two words. It combines “Neuquén,” the city where I live, and “Pat” from Patagonia. Neuquén is a province in the north of Patagonia, and the city of Neuquén is the capital and the largest city in Patagonia.
I have a deep love for my city, my province, and the Patagonian region as a whole. I occasionally travel around the region, and even though there’s more to explore, the beauty of this place captivates me.
SJ: Is Patagonia also a source of inspiration for your music?
NeuPat: Maybe for some songs. For example, I have one song called Rio Neuquén, which is a river just few steps from my home. It’s beautiful and it inspired me because it’s green and quiet, with many trees.
Then I have some low-fi songs, like the one called “Alone”. In that case, I was thinking of the desert parts of Patagonia, which has a bit of everything: green mountains, snow, deserts…
SJ: You are a musician since you were a child. Which instruments do you play and what triggered you to start learning music in your childhood?
NeuPat: I come from a family of musicians. Both my father and my older brother share a passion for music. From a young age, my brother and I delved into playing various instruments.
That’s why music has been a constant presence throughout my life, with the sounds of jazz and tango filling our home. My dad and brother currently play tango, in fact.
My own journey with music started when I was 9 years old, studying piano at the music school in my city, where I later graduated as a music teacher a few years ago.
After two years of piano study, I switched to the guitar, using a book my father published that featured chords of folk music from our country, including samba.
As my brother played the contrabass, I fell in love with bass guitar, because it has a similar sound. Around the age of 13, my father got me a bass guitar, and I started studying and playing it with some teachers.
It became my primary instrument, but I also dabbled in electric and classical guitars. I ventured into different genres, playing in rock and heavy metal bands—quite a departure from what I’m creating now.
SJ: What inspired you to switch to electronic music?
NeuPat: I’m a big fan of rock and heavy metal, and I’ve immersed myself in both international and national rock scenes. However, the constant noise of playing in bands, late-night gigs at bars, and the usual spots in my country got a bit draining. We often found ourselves playing at ungodly hours like 2 AM or 3 AM.
Growing up, I felt a shift in my interests, and I grew tired of the late-night scene and collaborating with other musicians. That’s when I decided to explore something new.
I had a fascination with electronic music, so I thought, “Why not give it a shot?” When I started making this kind of music, I didn’t even have a keyboard – my first song was created entirely using the mouse.
After getting a keyboard, my music production took a step up, and I began creating better things. I’m still an amateur, and I fully acknowledge that.
I’m constantly learning, but the key for me is taking action. I have ideas, and I’m aware that if I don’t act on them, they might slip away.
Waiting to reach some professional or perfect level only leads to losing those creative sparks.
SJ: Your covers are clearly a visual description of the title of your singles or albums. Which software or platform are you using to create them?
I pick the ones that resonate with me the most, sometimes mixing and matching them until I get the perfect blend, which I use for the cover.
SJ: You often mention your playlist in social media like X and instagram. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
NeuPat: The playlist includes people from all over the world. What I do is try to help and support independent artists like me. I stay in touch with many of them, who in the meantime have become friends, and I do this to trigger the Spotify algorithm.
It’s like a daily job. I have to check the playlist, check the streamings, who is more successful, who is not collaborating and I have to deal with people all the time.
I do enjoy it, though, because I listen to new music almost every day, of many different genres: rock, rap, trap, electronic, lo-fi, even meditation. Everyone has a place.
SJ: So it’s not just for electronic music, but every genre is welcome.
NeuPat: Yes, every genre. I’m planning to curate an electronic music playlist since I’ve got some free time during my summer vacation.
It’s not just for Spotify; although I’ve got plenty of playlists there, I’m also expanding to YouTube, Amazon Music and SoundCloud. The latter has been a major focus for me lately.
SJ: Do you use mostly hardware or software to make music?
NeuPat: Primarily, I work with a variety of software and loads of VSTs, relying heavily on plugins to shape my music. Now I have also a MIDI keyboard to play with.
Sometimes I use my electric guitar, and I want to record some bass guitar too, if I manage to get it back from my brother, because it sounds more real than pressing a key on a keyboard to trigger a midi note.
SJ: On which DAW do you record them?
NeuPat: I stick with Sonar X1. Yeah, I know it’s a bit old-school, but it works fine with my computer, which is also a bit old. Thing is, I’m comfortable with it, it’s like an old friend. Plus, my dad used it for years.
I might venture into another DAW someday, but for now, Sonar will do.
SJ: Which effects you could not do without in your music recording process?
NeuPat: Probably delays. I use a lot a delay called dirty spring, but also chorus is very important for me. The one I use is called Mercury.
Then some compressors. Those are the effects I use most. I don’t use much distortion.
(Now I invite you to watch the following video, starting at 19:51. We are going to have a studio tour and a Sonar tutorial).
We say thanks to NeuPat for the very nice interview.
Don’t forget to visit his Soundcloud page
You are also welcome to check the other interviews for The Electronic Corner